Real Life
by Mahone-chic-89
Summary: DEADLIEST CATCH: While Andria adjusts to being a wife and crabber, new rescue swimmer Julia impacts another Bering Sea captain. The Cornelia Marie experiences mechanical problems and more. See full summary inside! SEQUEL TO: SO OTHERS MAY LIVE!
1. Prologue

NOTE: This is the sequel to: So Others May Live. Please read it before you read this!!

FULL SUMMARY:

Andria Hansen has just married Northwestern captain Sig Hansen. She must now adjust to not only being a newlywed, but also to being a crabber out on the Bering Sea. Meanwhile, a new rescue swimmer has been hired to replace Andria. Julia Garner is the Coast Guard's most successful rescue swimmer. She is re-stationed in Dutch Harbor, Alaska after Andria quit to work with her new husband. Julia soon meets a certain captain with serious health and person issues and begins to have an impact on his life. Little does she know how deep of an impact she will truly have…

Chapter 1: Prologue

"Sig stop it!"

Edgar and Norman rolled their eyes while they watched their older brother flirt with is wife. Just three days ago the two had been married and now they were about to leave for the Opilio crab season.

"Get a room," muttered Norman as he shook his head.

Andria just laughed and laid her head on Sig's chest. Sig smiled broadly as he glanced at his two brothers sitting at the table in the galley.

"You guys are just jealous that you're women can't come," he said with a laugh.

Edgar rolled his eyes at that and grimaced as Sig tickled Andria again, causing her to laugh loudly.

"What's all the screaming about?" asked Matt as he walked out of his room, eyes still heavy with sleep, "You'd think that something bad was…oh."

Matt paused when he saw Sig and Andria. He sneered as he poured himself some coffee.

"So when are we leaving?" he asked.

Sig wrapped his arms around Andria and looked over at Matt.

"How's five minutes sit with you?"

Matt shrugged, "Yeah, sure."

Sig murmured something into Andria's ear before he left to head up to the wheelhouse.

"Well at least we know you two like each other," said Edgar as he sipped on some coffee.

Andria smirked as she began to put on one of her sweatshirts overtop of her other shirt.

"Where you goin'?" asked Jake as he walked into the room.

"Outside…I want to stand on the bow while we head out of the harbor."

Jake shook his head, "Suit yourself! I'll stay nice and dry while I can!"

Andria walked out of the galley and stepped outside. The blast of cold air that hit her nearly took her breath 

away. The mountains surrounding the harbor were covered in white snow. It was absolutely beautiful.

Just as the boat began to pull away from the docks, Andria climbed across the side of the boat and onto the bow. She leaned over the railing and sighed. The beauty of the harbor, the feeling of the air rushing past her face, the sight of the water as they glided over it, and knowing that the man behind the wheel was her husband made her feel so alive! She thought that nothing could be better than this moment…nothing in the world could top this feeling…

Julia Garner walked into her new office at the Coast Guard station in Dutch Harbor. She had recently been stationed here after the other rescue swimmer quit.

She sighed as she glanced around her. The station was not nearly as nice as her base in Kodiak. This place was small and was built out of an old abandoned warehouse. The town itself was in the middle of nowhere.

She tossed her stuff down onto the small wooden desk and walked back outside. She decided to see if the town had any life in it and began to drive down the road…

"Jake I swear if you even think about doing this again I will have your head mounted on my wall!" screamed a very irate Phil Harris.

Jake stood near the captain's chair, taking yet another lecture from his father. This time, instead of helping the crew store the bait, he decided to go into town to flirt with the local women and his father was not so happy about his latest escapade.

"You want full-share? Then start acting like it! Now get the hell out of my wheelhouse!"

Jake rolled his eyes as he turned to head back out onto the deck.

Phil shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. They were leaving in less than a day and already his son was causing problems.

"Hey Murray?" he called out over the loud hailer, "I'm going to the Elbow Room for awhile. I need a break, so you're in charge alright?"

Murray gave his friend a thumbs up and nodded in understanding. He and Phil had been good friends for years and Murray knew him better than anyone else in the world.

Phil sighed as he stood up and left the wheelhouse. All he could think about was how nice it would be to sit at the bar in the Elbow Room, talk to Danni, and have a good long drink…

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	2. The New Girl

Chapter 2: The New Girl

Julia stopped at a well-lit nearby tavern. The parking lot was rather full so she assumed this was the place everyone went to hang out.

She sighed and stepped out of the car.

As she walked inside, she was greeted by the sound of music, laughter, and lots of guys. The crews of the Maverick, Time Bandit, and the Wizard were all gathered together near the middle of the room. Captain Keith Colburn was in the middle of an elaborate story and everyone broke out into laughter during various parts of it.

Julia smiled slightly and made her way over to the bar. She brushed her black hair behind her ear and sat down at a nearby barstool. Her green eyes flashed with amusement at the sight of the rather drunk and happy crabbers sitting at the tables.

"Hey, never seen you before!" said a young woman, also with long black hair.

The woman wiped her hands on a towel and leaned on the bar.

"Um, no I'm new here," said Julia, "I'm a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard. They stationed me here after the other swimmer left."

The other woman's eyes flashed briefly.

"Oh…well I'm Danni Painter," she said as she extended her hand, "I'm owner of the Elbow Room, this glorious bar you are currently sitting in."

Julia smiled at that. This Danni Painter wasn't half bad.

"I'm Julia Garner," she replied as she shook her hand.

"Well, Julia, welcome to Dutch Harbor! It's not like Kodiak, but it's got a life of it's own. I think you may find it rather interesting. There are some great fishing stories here…best in the world!"

"Hey, who's this?" asked a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man.

"This is Julia Garner," said Danni, "She's the new rescue swimmer. And Julia, this is my husband, Blake Painter, captain of the Maverick."

Julia's eyes brightened at that.

"Wow! You're married to a _captain_?"

Danni laughed, "Yep! And quite a handsome one at that!"

Blake smirked and kissed her on top of the head.

"I'm going to go see what Keith's talking about. I'll see you later. See you around, Julia!"

Julia waved bye to him and turned back to Danni. She gave her a very approving look.

"Well you certainly know how to pick them!" she exclaimed, "Hot _and _charming? You have to teach me your secrets!"

Danni laughed at that.

"Oh you don't need secrets!" she assured, "It's just about finding the right one…its easier said than done I'm afraid."

Julia nodded in agreement.

"You wanna know something?" asked Danni.

"What's that?"

"I know the other rescue swimmer…the one you're replacing."

Julia raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Really?"

"Yeah. She's a friend of mine actually. She just got married to Sig Hansen a few days ago. She's working for him now."

"_She_?" asked Julia, "I had no idea the other rescue swimmer was a woman too. And she married _Sig Hansen_? Wow…lucky girl! What do you mean she's working for him?"

Danni smirked, "She's a greenhorn on the Northwestern now."

Julia's eyes widened even further than before.

"No way! Wow, I definitely need to meet this girl."

Danni laughed, "Well, I'd be glad to tell you more about her and the other people in town. We have plenty of time. Feel free to come by during the day, it's a little less crowded and we could talk more. Meanwhile, can I get you a drink?"

"It's on me," said a voice from behind Julia.

Danni smiled when she saw who it was.

"Phil! How're you doing?"

"Good…better actually," he said, casting a glance in Julia's direction.

Julia smiled back, "Hi, I'm Julia Garner, rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard," she said, extending her hand.

Phil gave her a surprised look, "I'm Phil Harris, captain of the Cornelia Marie. Rescue swimmer, huh? I suppose you're taking Andria's place then?"

"Andria? That must be her name…yeah I guess I am."

"Well it's good to meet you, Julia. What do you drink?"

"Scotch."

Phil raised an eyebrow, "Really? A woman who likes her drink…not bad, not bad at all. Make that two scotches Danni."

"Coming right up!" replied Danni as she began to make the drinks.

"So…"

Phil was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the door.

Two guys burst into the room, screaming and laughing excitedly. They rushed up to a couple friends from the other boats and they too began to shout and laugh loudly.

"Aw great," muttered Phil.

Julia shot him a curious look.

"Who are those guys?" she asked as she watched them pour some beer from a pitcher on one of the tables.

"Oh, just my two sons."

Julia shot Phil a surprised look. She glanced back at the boys and shook her head. How in the world did this man put up with those kids?

"They're names are Jake and Josh, but I prefer ding and dong."

Julia broke out into a laugh at that. She covered her mouth and glanced at Phil. He was trying to look irritated but the gleam of amusement in his eyes betrayed him.

"Don't mind them," he added, "They're partiers. They'll cause a ruckus I'm sure."

"Oh, great," mumbled Danni as she handed them their drinks, "Ding and dong have arrived."

Julia laughed when she saw the look on Danni's face.

"Sorry," said Phil, "I didn't bring them, I promise."

"It's okay…they drink a lot so that's more money for me I suppose."

Just then, Julia's pager went off. She grabbed it and read the message.

"Oh, I gotta go," she muttered crossly, "Some idiot and his buddy decided to canoe by those mountains with the sea caves and got sucked inside."

Phil sneered and shook his head.

"Some people are so stupid."

Julia laughed in agreement.

"Well, thanks for the drink Captain…I'll see you around," she said with a wink.

Phil swallowed nervously as he watched Julia walk out of the Elbow Room.

Danni leaned over the counter and whispered into Phil's ear.

"She sure is pretty."

Phil smiled slightly.

"Yep…she sure is…"

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	3. Season's Beginnings

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone!! : )**

Chapter 3: Season's Beginnings

"Hey greenhorn, where's that bait?"

Andria shot Matt an irritated glance as she made her way over to the pot. She scrambled inside and hung the bait then scrambled quickly back out.

"She moves fast enough," murmured Norman.

Nick and Jake nodded their agreement as Andria walked past them to get the next bait setup.

She shot Matt another look as he made a face at her.

"Stop tormenting the greenhorn."

"Thank you Edgar," said Andria shooting a victorious look in Matt's direction.

Matt just rolled his eyes and scoffed as he went to help get the next pot.

Andria was learning quickly how difficult it was to be a crabber out on the Bering Sea. The waves crashing over the rail kept her on her toes while she baited the pots.

A large wave swamped the deck and the deckhands began to whoop and holler excitedly as they all nearly lost their footing. Andria shot them all confused and disbelieving looks. How could they think that these massive waves flooding the deck were enjoyable.

Jake ran over to Andria and gave her a pat on the back.

"That was sweet, huh?" he asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah," said Andria sarcastically, "It was a blast…are you all insane?"

Jake laughed, "Yeah basically! You'll get used to it soon, I promise. Then you'll be all excited when a wave comes over."

"Uh huh…sure."

Andria shook her head as she watched Jake run over to Edgar and give him a high-five. These guys were crazy!

…

Meanwhile…

Julia and her crew flew high over the rough seas, searching for the missing canoe and its passengers.

"Who's stupid enough to canoe near those mountains?" asked Andrew as Julia got suited up.

Julia rolled her eyes. From what she could tell Andrew was rather full of himself and enjoyed complaining a lot. She suddenly understood why Andria left.

"I don't think that really matters," she retorted, "What's important right now is that we get those people out of harms way."

Andrew sneered and rolled his eyes.

"You're just like Andria," he muttered under his breath.

"Well from what I know of this Andria girl, I'll take that as a compliment!"

"There's a rather large sea-cave up ahead," said the pilot through the headset, "Think that's the one base was describing?"

"Permission to open cabin door to get a better look, sir?" asked Julia as she put her hand on the door handle.

"Roger."

Julia opened the door and looked down at the large cave. Water was being sucked in and out of the sea-cave and the waves smashed into the mountain. She swallowed nervously. This was a potentially very dangerous rescue mission. She would have to get the timing just right or those waves would toss her into the side of the mountain instead of the cave.

"Let's go for it!" shouted Julia, "It looks like this is the one!"

"Roger, prepare rescue swimmer," answered the pilot.

Andrew came over and attached the line to Julia's survival suit.

"Good luck," he muttered.

"Gee, thanks," replied Julia, giving Andrew a hard look.

Taking a deep breath, Julia slipped out of the helicopter and began to descend into the Bering Sea…

…

Phil and his sons returned to the Cornelia Marie later that night. His sons were still being loud and obnoxious after partying it up at the Elbow Room.

Phil shook his head and rolled his eyes as he climbed up into the wheelhouse, grateful to the peace and quiet and the solitude of his chair.

"Hey Murray!" shouted Jake.

Phil laughed slightly. He could just picture his senior deckhand's face when his two rowdy sons ran into the wheelhouse.

"My poor crew," he murmured with a slight smile.

Suddenly he heard the panicked cry of his youngest son and Murray's cackling laugh. Josh was yelling and trying to get away from someone. Dave was calling out for Freddy to help him hold one of the boys down.

Phil laughed heartily and jumped up out of his chair. He just couldn't miss this!

As he walked into the galley he saw Jake underneath a dog pile of crew members and Josh trying desperately to wash egg out of his hair in the sink.

Phil nearly fell over from laughing so hard. He shook his head and turned to walk back up into the wheelhouse.

As he sat back down in his chair he had a weird feeling in his chest. He coughed a few times and tried to shake it off. He figured it wasn't all that serious. Besides, he had work to do…

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	4. Cold

Chapter 4:

"Woo hoo!" shouted Andria as a massive wave swept her off her feet and carried her to the other side of the boat, "Yeah baby! Woo!"

Jake was laughing so hard he nearly fell over.

"Told you!" he shouted.

Andria smirked as she stood back up.

"Alright…maybe you guys aren't _so_ crazy. That was fun!"

Edgar shook his head as he watched Andria lean over the starboard rail.

"Is that all you got?" she shouted at the water.

"Um, challenging the Bering Sea isn't really a good idea," said Matt.

"I'm not scared! Bring it!" she screamed.

Just then another large wave washed over the starboard rail, knocking Andria onto her backside.

Matt had to grip the railing because he was laughing so hard. Jake looked like he was crying as he attempted to help Andria back onto her feet. Nick came over to help, laughing at Andria's expense.

Edgar and Norman just stood by the hydraulic controls, smiling with amusement at the scene.

"And that, greenhorn," said Norman, "Is why you never challenge the Bering Sea!"

…

The cold rush of the frigid waters shook Julia to the core. Every part of her body was screaming at her to escape, but instead she turned to the mountain wall and began to swim towards the dark sea-cave. She forced her mind to override her body's panicked and frozen state and kicked out strongly toward the mountain.

She lined herself up with the entrance of the cave and waited for the waves to drive her into it. Wave after massive wave slammed into her from behind and before she knew what was happening, she was inside the cave.

Julia grabbed hold of one of the large rocks that protruded from the water and held on. She pulled out the hand-flare and ripped it open. A bright, orange-red flame filled the cave, illuminating all the dark crevices.

"Hello?" she called out, "United States Coast Guard! I'm here to help you! Call out if you can hear me!"

A moan came from further back into the cave. Julia swallowed nervously. The tide was rising and she wasn't sure how much longer she would have before the cave would be completely filled with water.

"So others may live," she murmured to herself, repeating the rescue swimmer's motto over and over again as she swam deeper into the cave.

Soon, the groan of grew louder. Julia swung the flare around, searching for the source of the noise. After a minute, she caught site of a man clinging to a small rock just above the surface of the steadily rising water.

"U.S. Coast Guard!" she called out as she swam over to him, "Hang on, sir I'm here to help you!"

She grabbed onto him and began to pull him away from the rock. The man began to panic and tried to push Julia away from him.

"Please remain calm!" shouted Julia, "I'm going to help you! Stop struggling!"

The firmness and confidence in her voice seemed to calm him down a little. He relaxed and allowed her to pull him away from the rock and toward the entrance of the cave.

"Where is your friend?" she asked as she kept swimming.

"J…Jeremy…never made it to…to the cave," stuttered the freezing cold man, "I don't…don't know what happened…to him…"

Julia gritted her teeth and forced her mind to remain focused. As a rescue swimmer she had learned long ago how to keep her mind out of the emotional part of the job…at least until after she got back home.

"It's okay, sir," she said as she helped the man swim toward the entrance, "You're almost home…it's all going to be okay now…it's going to be okay…"

…

Phil coughed again, this time more loud and painfully. He cursed, convinced that he had caught something just before they went out to sea.

"That's just what I need," he muttered to himself, "A cold…right before opie season."

He coughed again and shook his head in annoyance.

"He, you alright there buddy?" asked Murray as he strode into the wheelhouse.

"Yeah, just a cold I think…what'd you do with my boys?" he asked, breaking out into a wide, goofy grin.

Murray laughed, "Jake's running around downstairs claiming we broke his leg…but the fact that he's actually _running_ around the galley kinda proves that he's just fine. Josh is whining that we ruined his hair with the eggs but he's washed his hair at least ten times."

Phil laughed heartily as he pictured his two sons downstairs freaking out and driving the crew insane.

"Yep, those are my boys!" he said with a smile, "Annoying as hell but God knows I love 'em!"

Murray smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.

"And so do we…we just have to put them back in their place once and awhile."

Phil nodded his agreement.

"And you have my full permission to do so."

Murray laughed and turned to leave, but stopped when he heard Phil coughing again.

"You sure you're okay there, bud?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Phil, brushing it off, "No biggie…just a cold."

Murray nodded and walked out of the wheelhouse.

Phil sighed and wondered why he felt so bad all of a sudden.

"This is one hell of a cold…"

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	5. Gotta Love Them Captains

Chapter 5: Gotta Love Them Captains

"Hey Andria, wanna throw the hook?" asked Edgar.

Andria smiled broadly and nodded excitedly.

The rest of the crew smirked and watched as Andria walked quickly over to Edgar. He showed her the proper technique for throwing the hook and stood back to watch.

"Is my wife throwing the hook?" asked Sig from up inside the wheelhouse.

"Roger!" shouted Jake.

Andria tossed the hook and it sailed out over the Bering Sea. The crew cheered loudly when Andria began to yank it back and it caught on the line. She screamed in surprise.

"I got it!" she shouted as she continued to pull in the line.

She threw it into the block and then ran over to the coiler.

"That's my wife!" shouted Sig over the loud hailer.

Andria laughed as they finished counting the crab in the last pot of this string.

"One thirty-five!" said Norman into the speaker, "One, three, five, got that?"

"Woo hoo!" shouted Sig, "Daddy like!"

"I'll take that as a yes," laughed Norman.

"Alright guys…two hours till we reach the next string," said Sig, "Grab a bite to eat and a nap cause its going to be a long night!"

"Great," mumbled Matt as he strode into the galley.

The crew settled down for a meal and then went into their separate rooms for a quick hour and a half nap.

Andria climbed up the stairs to the wheelhouse and slipped inside.

"Hey, Captain," she crooned as she walked over to Sig.

Sig got a goofy grin on his face when he heard Andria's voice. He turned around in his seat to face her.

"Hey greenhorn," he said with a smirk, "You're doing very well."

"Thank you," she replied as she climbed up onto his lap.

Sig's eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

Andria reached up and cut off the wheelhouse light.

"You are one baaaad greenhorn…"

…

Julia hoisted the man into the basket that the Coast Guard helicopter had lowered down to them. She 

watched as the man was lifted up inside the cabin.

Andrew sent the line back down to her and she attached it to her gear. Slowly, they reeled her back out of the frigid water and inside the warm helicopter.

"Good work, Julia," said the pilot, "Well done! Now…let's go home, what do you say?"

Julia was still breathing hard from swimming against the powerful waves. She just nodded in agreement and grabbed a towel to dry her wet hair. Physically she was drained and felt terribly, but mentally she felt happy and relieved.

Saving a life was like no other feeling in the world and it more than made up for how tired she felt at that moment.

The helicopter rose higher into the sky and set off on a direct course for Dutch Harbor. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting its cheerful orange rays across the frigid and uncaring Bering Sea. To Andria…it was a beautiful sight.

…

Later that day…

"Alright boys let's get on outta here!" announced Phil on the loud hailer.

He felt a little sad that he had not been able to find that rescue swimmer he had met the day before. He was hoping to see her again before he pulled out of the harbor.

He sighed and shook his head.

"It's just not meant to be," he murmured as he prepared to put the boat in gear.

"Captain Harris!"

Phil froze and glanced down at the docks.

"You can't be serious," he murmured.

"Tie her back up!" he shouted over the loud hailer, "Tie her up now!"

The crew looked up at the wheelhouse in confusion, but obeyed their captain's orders.

Phil rushed down from the wheelhouse and made his way over to the dock.

"Hey!" shouted Julia as she waved excitedly.

"Hey!" laughed Phil as he climbed off the boat and onto the dock, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize for leaving you so quickly last night," she replied.

Phil raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You're apologizing for having to leave me at the bar so you could go save a life?" he asked incredulously.

Julia smirked, "Well it was just bad timing. I wanted to talk to you some more…get to know you a little better, but I guess you guys are leaving, huh?"

Phil actually considered saying no for a brief second.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so," he murmured, "But if you're around when we get back, I'd love to talk to you some more too."

Julia smiled broadly and Phil felt his heart jump at the sight.

"I'll be here, I promise," replied Julia.

She leaned forward and gave Phil a hug.

Phil smiled like a teenage boy and hugged her back.

"Good to hear," he murmured, "Now I got something to look forward to while we're out there."

"Be careful," replied Julia, eyes suddenly growing serious, "And I mean it…be careful."

Phil nodded as he turned back to his boat. He swallowed, trying to stifle the cough he felt building in his throat.

"I will…I promise…"

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**Hehe…I couldn't help myself with Sig and Andria…lol.**

**Thanks so much to all who are reading/reviewing!! I really appreciate your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, critiques, ect, ect. **


	6. Accident

Chapter 6: Accident

"Hey, Andria? Hand me that bait jar would you?"

Andria tossed a bait jar over to Jake and turned around to finish grinding up the fish for the next string.

She walked over to the sorting table and laid down some of the prepped bait set ups. As she turned around to walk back to the baiting area, a wave hit the side of the boat. Andria slipped and hit the deck hard. She heard a tearing noise and then a searing pain shot up her leg.

She glanced down to see what it was and paled instantly. On her outer-calf there was a gash that reached from her ankle up to her knee. Her rain-gear was torn and blood was flowing freely from the large wound.

Edgar saw Andria fall and walked over to see if she was okay. He froze in horror when he saw what had happened. Her leg had apparently caught a sharp piece of metal on the side of the sorting table.

"Oh…my…" stammered Edgar, in shock.

The rest of the crew saw the look on Edgar's face and raced over to see what had happened.

Jake breathed in sharply when he saw Andria's leg.

"We gotta get her inside," said Edgar, shaking his head and forcing his mind to work properly.

Norman went over and helped Edgar lead Andria into the galley, leaving a thin trail of blood on the deck…

…

"Looks like pops got himself a girlfriend," said Jake as Phil jumped back onto the boat.

"Shut up," he said with a smile as he walked back up to the wheelhouse.

Josh and Jake shared amused looks and grinned like kids as the boat pulled away from the dock.

"Philly's gotta girl?" asked Freddie, "And I don't? There's something wrong with that!"

Dave laughed as he walked by and shook his head.

"I hear ya, Freddie…I hear ya!"

As the Cornelia Marie slowly moved away from the dock, Phil glanced out his wheelhouse window to see that Julia was still there, waving to him as he put the boat in gear.

He smiled and waved back. It had been a long time since he had felt this way and it felt good.

"I can't wait to get back," he murmured to himself as the Cornelia Marie picked up speed and headed out of the harbor.

He coughed loudly and muttered irritably to himself.

"This cold's gonna be such a pain…"

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**Sorry its so short this time…I gotta busy weekend coming up so I've got stuff to do around the house to prepare for it. Heading over to the Coast Guard base for a tour and discuss my potential career **

**with them…I'm super excited!! : )**

**Thanks again for all the reviews!!**


	7. Pain and Paybacks

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewing and reading this story!! Your support/advice is MUCH appreciated!! And yes the title of this chapter is the same title as one of the episodes of Deadliest Catch!! **

Chapter 7: Pain and Paybacks

Andria gritted her teeth in pain. The searing pain that shot up her leg nearly made her pass out. She vaguely realized that she was lying on the floor of the galley, the crew leaning over her with worried looks on their faces.

"Grab the first aid kit!" ordered Edgar as he got on his knees to examine her leg.

Andria let out a sharp cry of pain as Edgar touched her leg to get a closer look at the wound.

"Sorry," he murmured.

Andria looked away, biting her lip to keep herself from crying out again.

Matt ran back into the galley and tossed the first aid kit to Edgar.

The kit was larger than the average first aid kit. It had everything from band-aids to temporary casts. Edgar opened the large box and sifted through it for the needle and stitching thread.

Andria looked over at Edgar to see what he was doing. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw him preparing the needle and thread.

Edgar glanced over at her and saw the look on her face.

"Andria, you might want to look away," he said quietly.

Andria paled and looked like she was going to pass out.

Jake paced nearby, face growing more worried by the minute. Matt fidgeted nervously while Nick and Norman sat on the floor near Andria, sharing uncertain looks.

Just before Edgar prepared to do the first stitch, Sig stormed out of the wheelhouse. His eyes were flashing angrily as he stomped into the galley.

"Why did my entire crew just walk off the…?"

He stopped short when he saw Andria lying on the floor and a small pool of blood forming around her leg.

"What the…?"

"Sig hold her hand would you?" asked Edgar, jarring his older brother out of his shocked trance.

Sig stood still for a moment, mouth open and gaping at the unbelievable sight before him: his wife lying on the floor, bleeding heavily.

After a moment's hesitation, he bent down and sat on the ground near Andria and reached out to grab her hand.

She looked up and met his eyes. A feeling of relief surged through her and she smiled weakly.

"How did this happen?" asked Sig in a hushed voice.

"She got thrown off balance by that wave that hit us," answered Jake, voice shaky, "She hit the table and cut her leg open on a sharp piece of metal."

Sig shot his brother a questioning look.

"I'll take care of it as soon as I stitch her up," answered Edgar.

Sig nodded curtly and turned his attention back to Andria.

"I'm about to insert the needle," he warned, "You got her Sig?"

Sig nodded, "Yeah…she's okay."

Andria squeezed Sig's hand, preparing for the pain. She grimaced as Edgar began to stitch up the gaping wound. She felt like screaming but held it back by squeezing harder on Sig's hand.

After what seemed like hours instead of minutes, Edgar leaned back and sighed.

"Okay…I'm done."

Andria let out a shaky breath and eased her vice-like grip on Sig's hand.

"Are you okay?" asked Sig as he gazed nervously at Andria.

She nodded wearily, "Yeah…I think so."

Jake finally stopped pacing and sunk down onto one of the benches behind the galley table with a sigh.

"I'll carry her to my room," said Sig, "She can stay in the captain's quarters until we find out if she's able to work or not."

"I can and I will," said Andria stubbornly, "I just need some rest…and a lot of Tylenol."

Sig smirked and shook his head.

"You never cease to amaze me…"

…

"Julia!"

Julia moaned and rolled her eyes at the sound of that voice. She had just returned to the Dutch Harbor Coast Guard Base after saying goodbye to Phil. She had been on her way to her small office when she heard Andrew calling for her. She turned around reluctantly.

"Yeah?"

"Where'd you disappear to after we landed?" he asked as he walked over to her.

They were standing in the main area of the base where their Jayhawk helicopter was sitting, the very same helicopter that Andria had once worked on.

"I had something to do," she replied curtly, "Is that a problem?"

Andrew shrugged, "No, I'm just curious."

"Well then maybe you should learn to mind your own business."

Andrew raised an eyebrow at her.

"I like 'em feisty!" he said with a smirk.

Julia sneered in disgust and turned to walk away.

"Hey! Wait!" called Andrew as he reached out to grab her arm, "Look, I'm sorry…we got off on the wrong foot."

Julia narrowed her eyes at the hand gripping her arm. Andrew let go and took a step back.

"Yeah I think we did," replied Julia.

"Well perhaps if I took you out to dinner tonight, it may change your mind?"

Julia rolled her eyes in exasperation, "I don't think so," she said as she turned to walk away again.

"Not even a drink?" he said, running to catch up with her, "Not even at that place you seem to like…the Elbow Room?"

Julia froze and narrowed her eyes at him.

"How do you know I went to the Elbow Room?"

"Saw your car in the parking lot when I drove by," he replied, "You know Coasties don't mingle with fishermen right? That's what happened to the last rescue swimmer and she lost her job."

"Is that a threat?" asked Julia, eyes flashing with anger.

Andrew held up his hands, "No of course not! Just thought I'd let you know…we don't hang out with _them_."

"But we save their lives?"

Andrew shrugged, "It's just how it is."

"Well maybe I don't like how it is."

"Rebellion never goes over well in the Coast Guard."

Julia whirled around and got in Andrew's face.

"Don't tell me how the Coast Guard works!" she snarled, "I've been working for them for a lot longer than you have, believe me! My father was a Coastie, my grandfather and my great-grandfather were too, so it might be in your best interest to get off my back!"

Andrew looked shocked.

"Look, I didn't mean to…"

"Just shut up, would you?" asked Julia, "I got more important things to do than stand here and argue with you."

Julia stormed off into her office and slammed the door behind her. She took a few deep breaths to calm 

herself down. That man got under her skin like no one else! No wonder that Andria girl left…if they told her she couldn't mingle with the fishermen even though she was in love with one, and had to put up with that arrogant jerk, she couldn't blame her at all.

"I need to go back to the Elbow Room," she muttered to herself, "I need to talk to Danni…maybe learn a little more about Andria and what happened to her…"

…

"Let her go boys!"

The crew of the Cornelia Marie whooped and hollered at the order from their captain. They released the pot from the launcher and watched as it sunk down into the Bering Sea.

"First pot of the season!" shouted Jake Harris.

"Yeah baby!" shouted Josh Harris.

The two brothers began to goof off, pushing each other around on the deck and tossing bait at each other.

The rest of the crew shook their heads and dodged the pieces of bait.

"Seriously," said Dave, "Who did we tick off to get stuck with the three Harris'…again?"

Freddy laughed as he watched Josh sneak up on Jake and grab him from behind.

Phil was up in the wheelhouse watching the mayhem on deck. He began to laugh but stopped short when he felt the cough rising up in his throat again.

"This is beginning to get annoying," he muttered.

Suddenly, Jake gave out a startled cry of pain.

"Josh! Get off me!"

"Boys!" said Phil in a warning voice over the loud hailer, "Jake stop being a wuss and Josh stop trying to kill your little brother."

That brought out a round of laughter from the rest of the crew.

Josh reluctantly got off of Jake, a smile of amusement and victory on his face.

"Oh I'll get you back, don't worry!" shouted Jake from a safe distance away, "When you least expect it…I'm comin' for you!"

"Oh I'm soooo scared," said Josh, pretending to shake in fear, "My little underweight brother's gonna get me!"

Jake narrowed his eyes at Josh and laughed.

"Just you wait Josh! It's coming…it's coming!"

Phil smiled at his sons from the wheelhouse.

"Yep…those are my boys!" he exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair.

He felt another cough coming on and cleared his throat. He reached for a cough drop, hoping that would suppress the annoying coughing bouts. After all, he didn't have time to worry about his cold…he had pots to set and crab to catch and money to make…

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Alrighty so it seems I'm going to be even busier now than before. The college deadline is approaching faster and faster and I got more stuff to do to get ready. I'm going to keep working on this story but I'm going to hold off on writing the sequel to All in the Family for now. But when this one's over I'll start the sequel thanks to wonderful ideas from you guys (especially Archermusician!!) **


	8. Love at First Sight

Chapter 8: Love at First Sight

Several hours later, Andria's eyes blinked open slowly. She glanced around the unfamiliar room, confusion lining her features.

Suddenly it all came back to her: the wave, hitting the table, her leg, stitches, blood, and finally, Sig carrying her into his room to rest.

She moved her leg to see how bad the pain was. She grimaced instantly and bit her lower lip to keep from screaming. Edgar had wrapped her leg with bandages to help protect the stitches he had sewn. It was stiff and each time she tried to move it a searing pain shot up her leg. The cut was rather long, reaching from her ankle up to the outside of her knee.

She stood up slowly, trying to ignore the pain as she went through some of the smaller drawers on a nightstand near Sig's bed. She sighed with relief when she found what she was looking for: Tylenol.

She doubled the dosage and swallowed the pills as she sat back down on the bed.

"I'll wait for the pills to start working," she thought to herself, "Then I'll head back to work."

She laid back down and closed her eyes, hoping that the Tylenol would take the edge off of the pain…

…

Julia got into her car that evening and drove back to the Elbow Room. She glanced around to make sure Andrew and none of the other Coastguardsmen had seen or followed her. She shook her head and sneered at the thought. Who cares if they saw her? She wasn't doing anything wrong!

Frustrated, Julia opened the door to the Elbow Room and stepped inside. She was shocked to see that the entire tavern was empty. The only person there was Danni, leaning on one elbow as she watched the TV behind the bar.

"What happened?" she asked as she walked over.

Danni jumped in surprise, not expecting for anyone to come that night.

"Oh, Julia…right?"

Julia nodded.

"Hey, well welcome back!" said Danni as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, "Everyone's gone for opie season so business is slow…but don't worry, once they get back the cash register will be overflowing with money!"

Julia smiled slightly, but Danni caught the look in her eyes.

"What's bothering you?" she asked as she leaned over the counter.

Julia sighed as she sat down on one of the barstools.

"That bad, huh?"

Julia nodded, "Yeah I had a rough day at work."

"They made you work after last night?" asked Danni with surprise.

"Just this morning. I went home at lunch time and slept for awhile. This guy I work with, his name's Andrew…he said that Coasties don't mingle with the fishermen."

Danni smirked, "Yeah I've heard that one before, trust me!"

A faraway look came into Danni's eyes as she remembered what had taken place not so long ago with another Coast Guard rescue swimmer.

"Tell me more about this, Andria," said Julia, "She sounds like a cool person…apparently she went through the same crap."

Danni laughed, "Oh yeah. She used to come in hear and tell me all about Andrew. I know him well from all the stories she told me. Apparently they used to date back in the day."

Julia raised an eyebrow, "You're not serious?"

"I'm afraid so. The guy wouldn't leave her alone. He bugged her constantly about hanging out with Sig Hansen. In the end Andria knew that living life as a Coastie wasn't for her. She chose another path and that path was getting married to Sig and working on his boat. She's a greenhorn this year, but I have a feeling she'll be a deckhand in no time. She's got the heart and the right mindset to do it."

Julia nodded and glanced away for a second. Andria sounded eerily like herself. Andrew bugged her too, and she was falling for a Bering Sea captain just like she had. But deep down she knew that the life of a Coastie was what she wanted. It's all she had ever known. She was a fourth generation Coastguardsman and proud of it.

"Yeah that Andrew guy tried to ask me out," she said after a moment.

Danni shot her a startled look, "No way!"

"Yep…I'm afraid so," laughed Julia.

Danni rolled her eyes in exasperation and shook her head.

"That guy's asking to get his butt whipped."

Julia laughed. Danni had spirit, that was for sure.

"So why didn't you ever try and join up with one of the boats?" asked Julia, "You seem tough enough for it."

Danni smiled, "Nah, its not for me. I prefer staying here and taking care of the boys when they come home. That and my husband is captain of the Maverick so I think one of us being a fisherman is more than enough!"

Julia nodded in agreement, "I can understand that!"

"Well…from what I've heard and from what I saw the other night, you and another certain captain seem to have a little chemistry going on."

Julia blushed slightly.

"Yeah…I went down to the docks right after we landed to say bye to him. I caught them just in time…they were pulling away from the docks and Phil ordered them to tie the boat back up so he could go talk to me."

Danni's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Sounds like you're special to him."

Julia smiled and glanced down, "Well we barely know each other…"

"Ever heard of love at first sight?"

Julia smirked, "Is that stuff even real? I always heard it in fairytales."

"I _know_ its real," assured Danni, "Trust me…I fell for Blake the day I saw him. I just kept him at arms distance. I was getting over a bad relationship and had sworn to never look twice at a guy again. I wasn't willing to take a chance because I was afraid of being hurt again. But Blake was persuasive and very insistent and he wouldn't let me say no in the end. He taught me how to open up and to trust and love again."

Julia sighed, "Why can't things like that happen to me?"

"Oh I'm sure they will…just give it time! When the boys get back from fishing you and Phil should get together. Meet up here once and awhile…just give it a shot. You never know till you try and if you don't try you'll wonder the rest of your life if something amazing could have happened and you don't want to do that."

Julia nodded, "Alright…I'll give it a go."

"That's the spirit! Hey, you wanna spend the night?"

Julia's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's okay," assured Danni, "I gotta extra pull out bed upstairs. It gets lonely here when the guys are at sea and I'd enjoy the company."

Julia hesitated, wondering if it was really a good idea. She slept at the base every night and if she called in to say she was spending the night somewhere else, questions would be asked.

But then she remembered Andrew's arrogant remarks about the fishermen and how they weren't up to par with the Coasties. These people were no different than them…if anything they were kinder and more understanding. With a determined nod Julia glanced up at her.

"Yeah…I'd love to stay!"

…

"Shh!" hissed Dave, "Keep laughing like that and you'll ruin it!"

Jake clamped a hand over his mouth, his shoulders vibrating from his barely suppressed laughter.

"Alright, are you ready?"

Jake nodded and the two left the room and walked out onto the deck.

"He's going to kill me for this!" said Jake, eyes alight with excitement.

"Yeah but he deserves it," said Dave, "After all, you know what they say about revenge."

Jake smirked and nodded as Dave handed him the bucket.

Up in the wheelhouse Phil watched the scene below him with a smirk on his face.

"Ding and Dong are at it again!" he exclaimed, "What the hell is Jake doing now?"

Jake walked over to the rail and tossed the bucket overboard. The rope attached to the bucket grew taut as it strained to pull something out of the room near the door. Suddenly, a dark green sleeping bag whipped out of the room and flew out into the Bering Sea.

"What the…?" exclaimed a startled and suddenly very cold Josh Harris.

Jake was beside himself with laughter at the sight of his half-clothed and terrified brother.

Josh quickly figured out what had happened and shot a glare at his brother.

"You're so done," he muttered sleepily, "I swear I'm gonna get you good for that one!"

Jake laughed hysterically and Dave walked around the deck, pretending to be innocent.

Phil laughed up in the wheelhouse.

"That kid's a genius!" he said as he gazed down at Jake.

A heavy feeling settled in on his chest as he laughed, causing him to cough roughly.

"That cough's getting worse captain," said Freddie as he walked into the wheelhouse.

"Hey Freddie…yeah I know. Stupid cold won't give me a break!"

"Take it easy buddy," said Freddie as he patted Phil's shoulder, "You gotta stay healthy for that girl of yours back at the dock."

Phil whirled around and Freddie ducked, laughing as he retreated a few steps back.

"Your boys said she's the rescue swimmer," he continued, "Tough _and_ sexy eh Phil?"

"Get outta here," muttered Phil, "And don't talk about Julia like that."

"Julia? So that's her name…and you're defensive of her already?"

"She's a nice woman and deserves to be treated as such…besides I barely know her."

"Aw that don't mean anything," said Freddie, "Sometimes all it takes is one look to fall in love, you know."

Phil shot him a look through narrowed eyes.

"Go write love poems or something," he growled, "Or better yet, go do your job."

The laughter in his eyes betrayed his feigned angry glare.

Freddie laughed, "Alright Cap…I'll leave you alone to daydream about your beautiful Coast Guard lady."

Phil muttered something under his breath as Freddie left the wheelhouse, but his smile never left his face. Maybe Freddie was right? Maybe he did care deeply for her…but how could that be? Love at first sight? That was something that happened only in sappy Lifetime channel movies, not real life…or did it?

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	9. Denial

Chapter 9: Denial

Andria slowly pulled her rain gear over her bandaged leg. She winced slightly but her determination and stubborn attitude won over the pain.

She slowly opened the door and slipped out into the bitterly cold air and freezing spray. She narrowed her eyes against the frigid air and walked over to the sorting table where the crew was sorting the first load of Opillio crab.

"What the…?" said Jake when he saw Andria.

Edgar turned around to see what Jake was gaping at.

"Andria?" he exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I'm working," she replied, gritting her teeth against the throbbing pain in her leg.

Norman just shook his head in disbelief as he tossed another crab onto the small conveyer belt that led to the hold.

"You need to be resting," chided Edgar as he put a hand on her shoulder, a concerned and caring look in his eyes.

Andria suddenly understood why Edgar looked so concerned. He wasn't just worried about her, he was also worried about Sig. Sig was probably shaken after nearly losing another woman he cared so deeply about and Edgar wasn't willing to let Andria take any unnecessary risks.

"I'm fine I promise," assured Andria.

Edgar frowned.

"How's Sig?" she murmured so only he could hear her.

"I think he's a little upset."

"Maybe I should go check on him before I start working?"

Edgar nodded, "Yeah…that might be a good idea…"

…

Julia laughed loudly as Danni finished telling her another story.

It was two oclock in the morning and they were still awake, sitting in Danni's room above the Elbow Room.

"So Edgar really did that?" asked Julia with a laugh.

"Yeah…I couldn't believe it either when Andria told me!"

"I really need to meet her when they all get back."

"I think you two would get along nicely," agreed Danni, "At the very least you could complain about Andrew together."

Julia moaned and rolled her eyes, "Oh that name!"

She shuddered and Danni laughed at her expense.

"Just wait till Phil gets back," she assured Julia, "He'll take care of Andrew for you…I promise!"

Julia smiled and Danni saw the slight twinkling in her eyes. She smiled and pretended not to notice.

Julia sighed.

"I wonder what he's doing right now…?"

…

Phil coughed violently into a paper towel. He pulled it back and gazed down at the red spots that were steadily growing larger with each cough. He cursed and tossed the paper towel to the side.

He sighed to himself and glanced down at his crew on the deck.

"Hey Murray?" he called over the loud hailer, "I'm getting kind of tired…could you come up here and take over the wheel? Everyone else come inside and get warmed up. Two hours left till we reach the next string."

Murray hurried up to the wheelhouse. He knew something was wrong with his friend and captain.

"Hey Phil, what's going on?" he asked as he went into the wheelhouse.

"You remember that cold I had?" asked Phil, suddenly realizing that he could confide in his best friend.

"Yeah, is it getting worse?"

"Um…yeah," said Phil as he showed Murray the paper towel.

"Oh my…Phil, that's bad…what, what do we do?"

"We do nothing. I'm going to go lay down for awhile and rest. Don't worry about anything, just take over the wheel okay? And don't tell my boys anything…got it?"

"Yeah…yeah Phil, but…"

"No, no buts. Just do it, alright?"

"Do you think you punctured a lung?" asked Murray.

Several hours ago, the boat had taken a large wave while Phil was in his stateroom. He had hit the dresser corner hard and thought that he had broken a few ribs.

"I don't know," muttered Phil as he stood up to leave.

"Phil this could be serious," said Murray.

Phil locked eyes with his friend. Only Murray would be brave enough to step in his way and defy him.

"It's fine…I got other things to worry about."

"Like what? Crab…money? Phil that's not as important as…"

"Just do it!" snapped Phil as he left the wheelhouse.

Murray watched his friend go and sighed with worry and fear. Something was seriously wrong with Phil and he couldn't do a thing about it…

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**Thanks for all the reviews!! : ) **

**I'm writing as much as I can in between babysitting and college stuff. I want to get this one finished so I can start the sequel to All in the Family. **

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing!!**


	10. Call Out

Chapter 10: Call Out

Andria slowly walked into the wheelhouse. She paused by the door when she heard Sig's uneven breathing coming from inside.

"Sig?" she asked quietly as she walked inside.

Her eyes opened wide with surprise and deep concern when she saw the state her husband was in.

Sig's eyes were wide and had a crazed, terrified look to them. His hands were shaking and his breathing was ragged. His head whipped around when he heard the door open.

"Sig…are you okay?" asked Andria as she slowly approached him.

A glimmer of recognition crossed his face and his eyes instantly became calm and his hands didn't tremble so much anymore.

"Yeah…yeah," he stammered as he held out his arms for Andria.

Andria fell into them and hugged Sig tightly, tears beginning to sting her eyes. She was upset to see how badly Sig was taking this. He must have been having flashbacks to what it felt like when he lost his first wife.

Andria climbed into his lap and clung onto him as her tears began to fall down her face and onto his shirt.

Sig closed his eyes and ran his hand through her long, straight blonde hair. Feeling her close to him made him calm down. Holding her reminded him that she was okay…he hadn't lost her. He felt her tears seep through his shirt and instantly became alarmed. He pulled away and gazed at her in concern.

"What's wrong honey?" he murmured, wiping a tear away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry I scared you like that. I didn't mean…"

Sig put a finger on her lips to silence her.

"No…it's not your fault. You didn't do that on purpose…its my fault. I panicked. But I'm okay now…I think I'm okay now."

Andria nodded but the mournful look in her eyes didn't leave. She rested her head on his chest and sighed.

"Can I stay here with you for a few more minutes before I go back to work?" she murmured.

"Back to work?" exclaimed Sig as he pulled back again and looked down at her, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"But I want to," said Andria, "That's why you hired me. I want to do this…I just want to be with you for a little longer."

Sig sighed, the fearful look reappearing in his eyes. He wanted to force her to stay here for the rest of the trip…in the wheelhouse where she was warm and safe and under his constant sight and protection. But when he gazed down at her he saw the tough and determined look in her eyes. She was born for this. She lived for the danger, the adrenaline rush. That's why she was with the Coast Guard before she joined the Northwestern. He sighed again and his eyes reflected amusement and love.

"Okay…so long as you promise me you'll be careful."

"I will…I promise."

…

"What the hell do you mean he's coughing up blood?" shouted Josh.

It was one day after Phil told Murray about the blood. He was sworn to secrecy but Phil's condition was getting worse and it was time for his sons to learn what was happening.

Josh looked infuriated while Jake looked shocked and upset.

"And you _knew_ about this?" snarled Josh, "And you didn't tell us?"

"He told me not to…"

"Of course he didn't! He wouldn't! Murray…this is serious! He could die from whatever the hell this is and you just let him keep in quiet?"

Murray looked away, knowing that Josh was right. Part of him wanted to be loyal to his captain but the other part of him, the part that was now winning the battle, was telling him to do something before it was too late.

"So what do we do?" asked Jake, quietly, "Call the Coast Guard?"

Josh sneered, "Like Dad would let us do that?"

"We might not have much of a choice," said Murray, "It's getting worse…the entire paper towel he just coughed into is covered in blood."

Jake and Josh exchanged terrified and startled looks.

"Then we have to call the Coast Guard," said Jake, "He could die…Josh…"

Josh saw the horrified look on his little brother's face and was suddenly overcome with compassion for him. He put an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"Alright…yeah I guess we don't have much of a choice do we? But how do we call the Coast Guard if Dad's up in the wheelhouse?"

"He can't fight all three of us off," said Jake, voice shaking, "We'll just have to convince him."

Murray sighed and scratched his head, "Oh this isn't going to be good."

The three deckhands walked up to the wheelhouse and opened the door.

Phil quickly hid the paper towel and turned around to face his visitors.

"What's going on?" he asked when he saw his sons and Murray.

"That's what we'd like to know," said Josh, shooting his dad an angry and upset look.

"Aw Murray! You told them?" yelled Phil.

"Phil this is getting bad fast," argued Murray, "We're calling the Coast Guard. You need medical attention and you need it now."

"Like hell you are!"

"Dad, please," begged Josh.

"No way! Get the hell out of my…"

Phil stopped as another coughing bout overtook him. He pulled his hand away from his mouth…it was covered in blood.

Josh and Jake looked absolutely horrified.

"Dad…" said Jake, "Dad you need…you need help."

Phil looked up, his face seeming to age another ten years right before their eyes.

"I know…but what about the boat…?"

"I'll take care of it," assured Murray, "I'll bring the crab home…and your sons."

Phil hesitated and leaned back in his seat. After a few minutes he looked back over at them.

"Dad…make the call," said Josh, "It's not a question…its an order. You're going to die out here if you don't."

"Dad, listen to him," said Jake, "Please."

Phil looked very unhappy about being outnumbered and forced into something. But deep down he knew they were right. This was getting bad and it was getting bad fast. He needed to get help right away.

"Fine…make the call."

…

Danni walked into the Coast Guard base in Dutch Harbor, a paper bag under her arm.

"Hey!" she called when she saw Julia walking down the stairs that led up to her office.

"Hey," said Julia, glancing around, "What are you doing here? If Andrew…"

"What's going on?" said Andrew as he stormed out of his office.

"Oh, hi!" said Danni cheerfully, "I'm just bringing Julia some lunch. Thought we could talk for a while."

"Aren't you that girl from the Elbow Room?" asked Andrew.

"Yeah, I'm Danni."

Andrew shot Julia a look. Julia read the message in his eyes and glared back at him.

"Don't you have anything to do?" asked Julia, "Anything besides butting into my business?"

Andrew sneered and shook his head, "Keep this up Julia…"

"And you'll what?" snarled Julia, "Tell me…what'll you do Andrew? I'm not afraid of you, so bring it!"

Danni raised an eyebrow in pleasant surprise. It was nice to see Andrew get chewed out, especially by her new friend.

Andrew looked equally taken back. He shot her a final glare and waved her off as he turned around to stalk back into his office.

"Well…that should buy us some time," said Julia as she joined Danni.

"I'm impressed!" said Danni with a laugh, "You're tougher than I thought!"

"Stick around…you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Danni laughed as they sat down in front of the Jayhawk helicopter and began to eat their lunch.

"Thanks by the way…this is very nice of you."

"Sure," said Danni, "Like I said the other day…its lonely when the boys are out at sea so its nice to have a friend to hang out with. Especially another female…I think all my friends are guys besides you and my waitress, Emily."

"I hear ya," agreed Julia, "Everyone in my unit is a guy besides me. I…"

Just then, the loud beeping of Julia's pager interrupted her.

She glanced down and read the message.

"Oh…my…"

"What? Julia, what is it?" asked Danni, concerned about the shell-shocked look on her friend's face.

"It's…it's the Cornelia Marie," breathed Julia.

Danni's eyes widened with fear.

"Oh no…what is it? Are they okay? Is it an EPIRB? Oh my…"

Julia shook her head, her eyes wild with fear.

"No…it's Phil."

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And thank you for all the feedback!! : ) I really appreciate it!!


	11. Saved By a Woman

Chapter 11: Saved by a Woman

Sig Hansen and his young wife, Andria were still in the wheelhouse when the call went out over the radio.

"Who is it?" asked Andria as Sig reached up to turn up the volume on the radio.

"Coast Guard this is the Cornelia Marie, do you copy?"

Andria and Sig shared startled looks. The Cornelia Marie was in trouble?

"Roger Cornelia Marie this is the United States Coast Guard what is the nature of your emergency?"

"My dad…our captain, Phil Harris is very sick. He's coughing up a lot of blood and he's pretty pale…he needs immediate medical attention. He's getting worse."

"That's Josh," muttered Andria, "I talked to him in the Elbow Room a while back. Oh poor Phil!"

"Roger that Cornelia, a Coast Guard helicopter is on the way."

"Thank you…thank you so much."

The relief and urgency in Josh's voice alarmed Sig and Andria. Phil's condition must be serious if he was allowing his son to call the Coast Guard.

Sig reached up and grabbed the radio.

"Cornelia, this is the Northwestern…Cornelia come in."

"Sig?"

"Hey, Phil?"

"Yeah…you heard?"

"Yeah, man what the hell's going on? You're coughing up blood?"

"Yeah…I had a bad cold before we left, or at least I thought it was a cold. Then the boat took a bad roll and I busted my ribs on the dresser in my room. I might have punctured a lung, I don't really know."

Sig shook his head, "How long ago was this?"

"Two days."

"Two days?" exclaimed Sig, "And you've had these same symptoms the whole time?"

"Um, yeah but its getting worse…a lot worse."

"Phil…oh my…why didn't you call earlier?" said Sig, anger and concern mingling in his voice.

"I didn't want to give up on my crew," retorted Phil, "You understand how that is. Their families live off the income they make from this job…without a captain…"

"Phil they could have been permanently without a captain!" shouted Sig, anger taking over.

Phil was silent for a moment.

"Yeah…yeah I know."

Sig sighed, "Well just get the hell off that boat and into a hospital as soon as possible, okay?"

"Surprised to hear you so concerned Hansen," said Phil attempting to alleviate some of the tension.

"Shut up," snarled Sig, "I'm just worried about losing my competition…you keep me on my toes Harris. I wouldn't want you guys to forfeit."

Phil laughed, "Yeah okay, sure…we aren't forfeiting. Murray's taking over and we're still gonna whip your Norwegian butt!"

Sig couldn't help but laugh at that, "We'll see about that! In the meantime do us both a favor and get yourself taken care of, would you?"

Andria smirked at the banter between the two rival captains. Although they were competitors and long time rivals, it was obvious that they still cared about each other's well-being.

"Alright Hansen…you just keep drinking your coffee and eating your Kit-Kats…the good Lord knows you're going to need them!"

Sig laughed and ended the transmission. He gazed down at Andria and she looked back up at him with an very proud and admiring look.

"What?" asked Sig, looking confused.

"I'm proud of you," murmured Andria in a loving tone.

Sig laughed, "For what?"

"For saying what you said to Phil. He needed that…and it shows me what a softie you really are."

Her eyes gleamed mischievously and Sig rolled his in exasperation.

"Yeah don't go spreading that around, would you?"

Andria bit her lower lip, a sight that drove Sig crazy. He swallowed nervously as she leaned in to kiss him. After a long, meaningful kiss, she pulled away and got off of his lap.

"Where are you going?" asked Sig, pouting slightly.

Andria laughed, "I'm going to work…that's what I came here to do right?"

"Well…yeah, I guess," said Sig, pretending to be depressed, "But I also hired you for the company."

The look in his eyes betrayed what he was really thinking. Andria sighed and shook her head.

"Later…I got work to do…see you later captain!"

Sig watched as Andria left the wheelhouse and sighed.

"How did I ever get this lucky?"

…

Julia's heart hammered in her chest as she waited anxiously for the helicopter to circle back around the 

Cornelia Marie. She looked out the door and saw Phil and his crew out on the deck. They looked worried and his sons looked like they had been to hell and back.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Andrew from the back of the helicopter.

Julia didn't acknowledge him. Her full attention was on one man on that boat.

"Julia!"

Julia turned around and shot an irritated look at Andrew.

"What?"

"What's wrong with you? You looked upset when we left and you've been dead silent the whole time we've been in here."

Julia turned back to cast a quick glance down at Phil waiting on the deck as the helicopter began to descend closer to the deck.

Andrew followed her gaze and a knowing look suddenly flitted in his eyes.

"Oh…I get it…"

"Shut up and hook up the line," snapped Julia, "I don't have time for your crap!"

"Do you remember how I told you we don't hang out with fishermen?"

"Andrew…"

"Do you love him?"

Julia opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She froze, uncertain as to how to answer that question. She was totally thrown off by it, making it even harder to think of an answer.

Andrew nodded after a moment.

"That's what I thought."

Julia glared at him.

"Tie…the…line…now," she said through gritted teeth.

Andrew rolled his eyes and obeyed her orders. Once Julia was secure, she nodded to the pilot and gave him a thumbs up.

She stepped out of the helicopter and began to slowly descend to the deck. Josh and Dave hurried over to help her untie the line. She tossed the line to the side and watched as it went back up into the helicopter. She whirled around and grabbed Phil.

Phil's eyes widened in shock when he saw her.

"J…Julia?" he stammered, "What the…?"

"I'm a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, remember?" she asked with a smile, "I'm here to rescue you."

Phil wrapped his arms around her and Julia happily returned the embrace.

"That and I missed you so I thought I'd drop in," she murmured.

Phil laughed and squeezed her tighter.

"That's the girl!" exclaimed Jake in a not-so-quiet whisper.

Josh nudged him, "Shut up!" he hissed.

But Julia had heard the comment.

"Oh so they know about me, huh?" she asked giving Phil a wink as she turned to face the brothers, "Don't worry guys…I'll take care of your dad, I promise."

The brothers looked very relived to know that the woman their dad had fallen for was the same one that was going to rescue him and take him to a hospital.

Just then, the basket hit the deck and Julia whirled around to face Phil.

"Okay, captain I need you to get into the basket for me…"

"I thought I told you to call me Phil?" he said as he choked back another cough.

"Okay…Phil, get in the basket!" she ordered.

Phil smiled, "That's better," he said as he climbed inside.

Julia sent a hand signal to the pilot and looked at Phil as the basket slowly began to leave the deck.

"I'll be up there in a second," she assured him as they hoisted him off the deck and into the helicopter.

While they were waiting, Josh walked over to Julia.

"Thank you," he murmured, "Please…make sure he's okay. He means the world to me. I don't know what I'd do if…"

Julia held up a hand, "That's bad juju to say things like that!"

Josh couldn't help but smirk slightly. She was just as paranoid as a crab fisherman.

"Don't worry," said Julia, "I'll keep an eye on him and visit him in the hospital if he stays there overnight. I won't leave his side unless I get another call-out."

Josh seemed to be comforted by those words. He nodded and patted her on the shoulder as the line came down from the helicopter. Julia secured it to her gear and held on tightly as she was hoisted back into the chopper.

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	12. Hospital

Chapter 12: Hospital

Andria walked back out onto the deck and made her way over to the sorting table.

"So…how's he doing?" asked Edgar.

"He was pretty shaken," she murmured, "But we talked and he's okay. Wish I could say the same for Phil Harris though."

The rest of the crew paused when they heard that. They gave her curious and concerned looks.

"What's wrong with Phil?" asked Norman.

"He's pretty sick," replied Andria, frowning slightly, "Apparently he's coughing up a lot of blood, so much so that his son called the Coast Guard. They're probably picking him up as we speak."

"No way," muttered Jake in a worried tone, "The invincible Phil Harris?"

"I'm afraid he's not so invincible," said Andria with a sigh, "His sons must be worried sick."

Jake looked a little upset at hearing that. He and the Harris brothers were good friends and often hung out in the Elbow Room when they were in port.

He tossed one of the crabs back onto the sorting table and made his way quickly over to the galley.

"Jake…"

Edgar reached out to grab his arm, but he shrugged it away and walked into the galley.

"Give him a few minutes," said Nick, "He's just upset…and its understandable."

"Yeah but the rest of us are still on deck," said Edgar quietly.

"They're his best friends," said Andria, giving Edgar a look, "He needs some time to absorb all this and then he'll come back…don't worry."

…

The helicopter touched down back in Dutch Harbor. The second they landed, a smaller crew rushed out to them with a gurney.

As soon as the door slid open, the reached inside and began to talk rapidly. Phil looked overwhelmed and Julia reached out a hand to help guide him over to the door of the chopper.

Her touch calmed him instantly. He looked into her calm and steady gaze and knew that he was okay. As long as she was here, everything was okay.

As soon as he was secured into the gurney, the team raced away. The sounds of sirens in the distance announced the arrival of the ambulance to the Coast Guard base.

Julia leapt out of chopper and ran to catch up with them.

Andrew watched with disapproval as she raced after the gurney and the captain. An evil smirk appeared on his face and he nodded slowly.

"Alright, Julia," he murmured to himself, "If that's how its going to be…I'll just have to end this little 

problem myself…"

…

Later that day, Julia paced outside of Phil's hospital room, biting her nails nervously and running her hands through her hair.

The doctors had refused to let her come in to see him because she wasn't immediate family. She yelled and threw a fit, telling the doctors that she was the one who got him off the boat. They didn't care. They were too busy with other patients to pay one upset woman any attention.

So Julia continued to pace outside of the room, wondering what in the world was going on in there…

…

Phil's eyes fluttered open slowly. They had drugged him for some reason…he recognized the groggy feeling as one of the after affects of anesthesia.

"What…what's going on?" he muttered as a nurse busied herself with one of the iv's.

"Mr. Harris," said the nurse in a calm and warm voice, "You had a little accident on the boat."

"Yeah, yeah I know," snapped Phil, "What the hell is wrong with me? And why did you drug me up?"

"There are a few things that are concerning the doctors right now," said the nurse as she adjusted one of the iv bags, "You were drugged because you were in a lot of pain when you arrived. The doctor was concerned that you may not be able to handle it so he told us to drug you so you could relax."

"Well I'm not in pain now," argued Phil.

The nurse smiled slightly. She had dealt with crabbers before and knew how stubborn they could be, but this one was definitely a fighter.

"That's because of the morphine," she explained as she brushed back a strand of her short brown hair.

"Well…are my ribs broken or what?"

"The x-rays were inconclusive," said the nurse, "They aren't broken but they are severely bruised, possibly slightly cracked."

"Then why am I coughing up blood?"

"That…that I can't tell you," replied the nurse, looking a little nervous, "That's for the doctor to tell. He'll be back to talk to you in the morning."

"So you're telling me that I have to wait until tomorrow to know what the hell is going on?" asked Phil, raising his voice.

"Calm down, Mr. Harris. One of the things wrong with you is that blood pressure of yours. The last thing you need to do is get yourself worked up. You want to be around a little longer for that pretty lady out in the hallway, don't you?"

Phil shot the nurse a surprised and questioning look.

"Pretty lady?"

She gave him a curious look.

"Yes…you didn't know she was here? She was the one who got you off your boat."

Phil's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Julia," he breathed as he sat up and tried to get out of the bed.

"Mr. Harris!" shouted the nurse as she moved to push him back into bed, "You cannot get up! Not in your condition!"

"Screw my condition!" snarled Phil, "I want to see Julia."

"You can see her tomorrow," said the nurse as she helped Phil get back into bed.

"Tomorrow? What is it with you and doing everything tomorrow?" snapped Phil, "I want to see her and I want to see her _today_!"

"Sir, remember your blood pressure…"

"Stop with that doctor crap already! Let me see her!"

"Goodnight Mr. Harris," said the nurse as she turned to leave the room, "Get some sleep…everything will look better in the morning."

Phil let out a string of cuss words at that and grumbled angrily to himself. How dare they not let him see her? She saved his life for crying out loud!

Suddenly, he heard her voice. She was yelling at the nurse about something. He strained to hear what she was saying.

"I want to see him!"

"Mam…"

"Don't 'mam' me! Let me in there!"

"Tomorrow…."

"I heard him say he wanted to see me! So I'm going in there whether you like it or not!"

"I'll have to call the authorities…"

Phil smirked slightly at the sound of her irate voice.

"Please," said Julia, lowering her voice in desperation, "Please just let me see him…just for a few minutes."

The nurse hesitated.

Phil felt hope soar in his chest as the door slowly opened back up.

"I'll be back in ten minutes to get you," said the nurse reluctantly.

Julia did not bother to respond. She flew into the room and ran over to the side of his bed.

Phil sat up enough to wrap his arms around her as she leaned down. He felt her tears on his hospital gown and sighed.

"Oh, Julia honey don't cry," he crooned, "It's okay…it's okay now."

Phil pulled back for a second and scooted over as much as he could. He patted the space beside of him on the bed and was pleased to see Julia laugh slightly.

She slid into the bed and cuddled up beside of him. Phil smiled and ran his hand through her hair in a comforting way.

Julia breathed a sigh of relief. It felt so good to be near him again and to know that for the time being, he was okay.

"Thank you," he murmured after a moment.

"For what?" asked Julia quietly as she looked up at him.

"Oh, I don't know," said Phil with a weak laugh, "For maybe saving me?"

Julia smiled, "Anytime."

Phil smirked at that and ran his hand through her hair again.

Julia leaned up closer to him and gazed into his crystal blue eyes. Phil felt his heart race a little faster as she gazed at him. Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed him. Phil stopped breathing altogether as he kissed her back. The feeling was electric and it sent shockwaves through his body. After a while, they finally broke off the kiss. Julia smiled at him and then snuggled against his chest and sighed in contentment.

A couple minutes later, the nurse reappeared and gave a slightly disapproving glance at Julia.

"She's asleep," whispered Phil, giving the nurse a hard stare, daring her to tell him she had to go.

The nurse sighed in resignation and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said after a moment, "But don't tell anyone it was me who let her in here."

Phil pretended to lock his mouth with a key and throw it out the window.

The nurse smirked in amusement and turned to leave, shaking her head and muttering something about needing a new job.

Phil played with Julia's long black hair until he too fell into a deep sleep…

PLEASE REVIEW!!


	13. Doctor's Orders

**Thanks so much for all the great reviews!! We're nearing the end so I'm working overtime to get this story done so I can focus on Hope Floats before I leave for college.**

**Enjoy!!**

Chapter 13: Doctor's Orders

Julia's eyes fluttered open as the morning light filtered through the blinds. She blinked in confusion, trying to figure out where she was. She glanced over and saw Phil, sound asleep beside of her with one arm wrapped around her waist.

She smiled sadly as it all came back to her in an instant. She sighed and brushed his hair with her fingers, wondering what the doctors would do to get this man, whom she cared for deeply, healthy again.

Just then, the door creaked open and a man dressed in all white walked into the room.

"Well, good morning!" he said in surprise when he saw Julia, "And here I thought I only had one patient to tend to!"

Julia smirked and slowly rolled out of the bed, lifting Phil's arm so she could get up.

Phil's eyes flew open and he looked around with a panicked expression.

"Julia?" he murmured sleepily.

"I'm right here, Phil," said Julia in a soft, reassuring voice, "It's okay…the doctor's here."

Phil seemed to relax instantly when he made eye-contact with her. He glanced briefly at the doctor and muttered something under his breath.

"So…what is it?" asked Julia, her eyes suddenly looking fearful, "What's wrong with him?"

The doctor sighed, "Well I'm afraid it was rather serious. Captain Harris had a pulmonary aneurism."

Julia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She and Phil exchanged concerned looks before the doctor continued.

"Basically what happened was a blood clot traveled up from your leg and went through your heart. You're a lucky man, Captain Harris. Most people don't survive that…and those who do usually don't survive it again."

Julia felt panic rise in her chest and her throat began to close up with the strength of the emotion that flowed through her. Was the doctor telling her that the man she was falling for wasn't going to make it?

"So…so what do we do? What's the procedure? Does he take medication?" rattled off Julia, hands shaking and voice trembling.

The doctor held up a hand to calm her down.

"He'll need to give himself a shot everyday and cut out certain food groups from his diet…mainly cigarettes."

Phil's head shot up off the bed at the sound of that.

"Okay…the shots are gonna hurt like hell, but I can handle that, the cigarettes? It ain't happenin' doc."

Julia shot Phil a very stern glare. He flinched slightly, surprised that she was capable of such an intense glare.

"Phil Harris you will do just what this doctor tells you to, is that understood?" she said in a very firm and insistent voice that left absolutely no room for argument.

The doctor had to stifle a laugh at the shocked look on Phil's face. He had never seen a captain take orders from a doctor very well, but it seemed that they took orders from their women quite well.

"Um…yeah, sure…okay," stammered Phil, still stunned by Julia's reaction.

Satisfied, Julia turned back to the doctor.

"Okay…so when does he get released?"

The doctor glanced down at his charts and hesitated for a moment. Then, with a slight smile on his face, he looked back up.

"Well that depends."

Julia narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Phil smirked slightly. She was a tough-cookie, this woman was!

"Depends on what?" asked Julia, in a tone that said she wasn't in the mood for games.

"On whether or not you'll be the one taking care of him," replied the doctor as he glanced at Phil to gage his reaction.

A slow, Cheshire grin crept across Phil's face and his eyes danced happily. Julia narrowed her eyes at him, but couldn't suppress a smile at his response.

"Yeah I suppose I can look after him for a while…so long as he does what I say."

The doctor laughed, "Mam…from what I've seen so far…that's not going to be a problem!"

…

PLEASE REVIEW!!

Sorry it's a shorter chapter…I'm guessing we have one more and then an epilogue but I'm not one-hundred percent sure…you know me. I say one thing's gonna happen and then something else entirely different happens!! So we shall see!!


	14. On Fire

Chapter 14: On Fire

Julia sighed as she helped Phil get into her apartment. It had been a long two days and she was more than happy to be back home.

"Nice," said Phil as he coughed slightly, "Nice place."

Julia shot him a concerned look and led him up to her room.

"Let's get you in bed," she said as she led him by the arm up the stairs.

Phil instantly got a mischievous look in his eyes at the sound of that. Julia gaped and pretended to be angry.

"Phil Harris you dirty-minded captain!"

The look of anger in her eyes only made Phil smile more. Julia muttered under her breath as she opened her door and led him inside.

"Now, I want you to stay in bed for the next couple of days," instructed Julia, "The boats are coming back in a few days and you want to be able to stand on the docks to greet your crew, right?"

A sad look came into Phil's eyes as he sat down on the queen-sized bed. He desperately missed his crew…especially his boys. He couldn't imagine how upset and frightened they must be. He hoped everything was okay and that Murray was able to find the crab and keep the boat and his crew intact.

Julia saw the look on his face and smiled as she sat down on the edge of the bed beside of him.

"They'll be okay," she said in a soothing voice.

Phil nodded slowly, but the concerned look never left his eyes.

"Why don't you lay down for a while?" suggested Julia, "Take yourself a nap."

Phil's face brightened slightly and he got that look in his eyes.

"On one condition," he said, grinning at her like a teenage boy.

Julia narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"And what pray-tell is that?"

Phil wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her all the way onto the bed. She squealed in surprise and shot him a stunned look.

"If you stay here with me," he replied in a low voice that drove Julia crazy.

She swallowed nervously, wondering if this was really such a good idea.

"Fine…so long as you don't try anything, Phil."

Phil laughed and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'll be a good boy, fisherman's promise!" he exclaimed as he raised a hand into the air.

Julia rolled her eyes and laughed at that. She pulled back the covers and helped Phil get situated. The second she laid down, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. Julia gave him a warning look but her eyes softened instantly under his loving, and slightly pained gaze. She smiled back and snuggled against his chest. Phil sighed in contentment and in a matter of minutes he was fast asleep…

…

"That's it!" announced Sig from the railing beside the wheelhouse.

"It's over?" asked Edgar, disbelievingly.

"Hell yeah! We're goin' home!" replied Sig as he threw his hands up into the air in victory.

The crew broke out into wild shouts and yells of excitement. They began to give rounds of high-fives and hugs as they realized that home was just a few hours away.

Edgar ran inside and came back out onto the deck, his arms full of various objects. He had a slightly evil look on his face as he tossed the items onto the sorting table.

"Oi," said Nick, "Here we go again!"

Andria gave him a curious look as she peered over the sorting table to see what it was Edgar had thrown on there. She was surprised to see cans of hairspray, matches, lighter fluid, and some kind of explosives all mixed together. She shot Edgar a stunned and somewhat fearful look as he reached in to grab some of the items.

"Hey greenhorn?" he said with a very mischievous look on his face, "You were on fire this season…figuratively, and now, literally!"

Andria tensed and prepared to run, but Edgar was faster. She screamed as a ball of fire erupted right in front of her face.

As it died down, she could hear Edgar and the rest of the crew laughing. She shot Edgar a furious look and turned to go after him. He laughed and ran the other way around the sorting table.

The entire crew was laughing hysterically at the sight of the two deckhands facing off from across opposite sides of the table. After a moment, Edgar grabbed the lighter fluid and a match and held them up to Andria. She instantly backed off at the sight of that and resorted to just shooting him angry glares, much to the crew's amusement.

"Did you just try and set my wife on fire?" asked Sig over the loud hailer.

His answer was another round of laughter from the deckhands and an angry curse from Andria.

"So I'll take that as a yes," he said with a laugh.

Edgar cleared the sorting table and poured lighter fluid all over it. He lit a match and the flames spread quickly across the table. Matt stuck his hand in it and spread the fluid around some more. Nick shook his head and mumbled something about hoping that Matt would catch himself on fire. Norman laughed at that and helped Edgar get the seal bombs prepped. They tossed them onto the enflamed table and everyone dove for cover.

Jake and Andria dove behind a tote box and peered around it cautiously. Nick, Norman and Matt ran to the stern of the boat, while Edgar just stood a few feet away. Andria shook her head at him.

"That guy's crazy," she muttered to Jake.

He laughed and nodded his agreement, "Yeah, but he's pretty cool too, you have to admit."

"I guess," said Andria just as the first seal bomb went off.

Edgar let out a cry of excitement while the deckhands at the back of the boat held their ears and laughed. Andria and Jake ducked behind their tote as the rest of the seal bombs went off.

Edgar laughed after they all went off and turned to look at Andria as she slowly stood up from behind the tote.

"And that, greenhorn, is how you celebrate Northwestern style!"

…

PLEASE REVIEW!!

Thanks so much for all the great feedback!! I'm thinking that I lied again…there will be one more chapter and then an epilogue. Like I said earlier, I never really know till its written out!

I'm going to work some more on Hope Floats and get it posted later today.

Thanks again for the reviews!!


	15. Reunion

Chapter 15: Reunion

A few days later…

"Phil are you ready?" asked Julia as she rushed around the apartment, trying to get ready as fast as she could.

Phil coughed slightly and winced as he injected the needle into his stomach. Julia ran into the bedroom just then and froze, a sad look appearing on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked as he pulled the needle out.

Phil grimaced slightly at the burning and set the needle down on the dresser. He forced a weak smile and nodded.

"Yeah…yeah I'm okay," he murmured.

Julia smiled sadly back at him and reached out to give him a hug. He sighed with relief and happiness as he took her into his arms. He was so lucky to have her here with him. He wasn't sure what he would have done without her constant encouragement and support.

"You're a bad liar," muttered Julia against his chest.

Phil laughed roughly, the sound completely driving Julia insane as she squeezed him tighter. After a few moments, she pulled away and looked up into his beautiful blue eyes. She smiled and reached up, putting her hands around his neck and bringing him closer to her. She gazed into his eyes right before she gave him a long, meaningful kiss that told Phil all he needed to know.

"Julia?" he asked, in a lower, rougher toned voice.

Julia shivered at the sound of her name coming from his lips and the intense blue stare he was giving her.

"What, Phil?" she asked softly.

"I…I love you."

Julia felt emotion instantly catch in her throat, threatening to overwhelm her. She swallowed nervously and tried to clear her throat. She had never felt this way about someone…not in a very long time. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Phil Harris…I loved you from the moment I met you at the Elbow Room," she replied in a low voice, "The second our eyes met I knew that there was something about you…something I needed in my life. And I'm so glad that you feel the same way."

Phil had to look away as the weight of her words quickly overwhelmed him. He wiped at his eye for a second and Julia reached out to touch his face.

"Aw, Phil!" she exclaimed.

Phil tried to brush it off.

"It's nothing…just an itch…"

Julia smirked, "Like I said…you're a bad liar!"

Phil smirked slightly and leaned over to give her another kiss.

"Okay…now we really got to go," said Julia as he pulled away, "We want to be on time to meet the boys when they get off the boats!"

…

As the Northwestern pulled into the harbor, Andria felt her heart soar with happiness. She had managed to survive the most dangerous season of the most dangerous job in the world and she had done it rather well too.

She ran up the stairs to the wheelhouse. Sig turned around when he heard the door open and smiled when he saw his wife. She was beaming happily as she walked over to him.

"Hey honey," crooned Sig, "Happy to be home?"

Andria nodded and slid up into his lap, much to her husband's delight.

"Oh apparently happier than I thought!" he laughed as he leaned back, allowing her more room.

"Mm hmm, "she murmured as she leaned in to kiss him.

Sig ran his hands through her blonde hair as she pulled away.

"How long till we reach the docks?" she asked in a low voice.

Sig caught the message in his wife's eyes and smirked.

"One hour…one hour till I have to guide her in…why do you ask?"

"Why do you think?" said Andria darkly as she pushed herself closer to Sig.

Sig gave a teenage grin of happiness as he muttered into her ear.

"Yeah…you're definitely coming back for next season!"

…

"Hey look!" exclaimed Julia as she pulled up at the docks, "Danni and Emily are already here."

Phil glanced out the window of Julia's truck and saw Danni, the Elbow Room's owner, and her friend and co-worker, Emily standing outside in the cold, looking out over the harbor.

Phil smirked, "Looks like we're not the only ones looking forward to the fleet coming home, eh?"

They stepped outside and Julia instantly walked in front of Phil and began to fuss over his jacket not being zipped up all the way.

"You want to get a cold too?" asked Julia as she zipped up his jacket for him.

Danni and Emily turned around when they heard Julia and smirked.

Phil rolled his eyes and grabbed Julia's hands, drawing her closer to him. He looked into her eyes and gave her a reassuring look.

"I'm fine…I promise, Julia…I'm okay," he murmured.

Julia frowned, "I know…I just…I worry about you."

Phil smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

"I know, hon…I know," he said as he pulled back.

Danni let out a squeal of surprise and nudged Emily, who looked rather stunned at the sight.

Julia turned around when she heard Danni's squeal and laughed. She held Phil's hand as they walked down to the docks where Danni and Emily were standing.

"No way!" exclaimed Danni, "I knew you two would get together! I just knew it! When I heard you were the one who rescued Phil I _knew_ something would happen."

Julia laughed at Danni's excited outburst. Just then, Emily cried out excitedly and pointed out at the harbor.

"Look!" she screamed, "It's the Cornelia Marie!"

…

Josh and Jake Harris stood on the bow of the Cornelia Marie. They had been a nervous wreck worrying about their father and his health.

"You think he'll be at the dock?" asked Jake quietly.

Josh shrugged, "I guess it depends on how bad he is…but I sure hope he's there."

The sadness in his older brother's voice touched Jake. He reached over and put an arm across his shoulders comfortingly.

"Hey…no matter what happens we still got each other, right?"

Josh smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we do."

After a moment of silence, Josh was startled by Jake's sharp intake of breath.

"What?" he asked gazing at his brother.

"Josh…look! It's him! It's Dad!"

…

Phil felt his heart soar with happiness when he saw his two sons standing on the bow of his boat. They had made it safely back home.

Julia smiled and waved out at the boys. They were waving like mad men and jumping up and down happily. She laughed and leaned on Phil.

"I think they missed their dad," she murmured.

Phil felt the emotion building in his throat. After all that had happened, he could have never imagined feeling this good. His sons were coming home and he had found someone he truly loved and cared deeply for.

"Yeah," he said after a moment, "But I don't think I'm the only one happy to see them."

He smirked as he glanced over at Emily. She was crying and jumping up and down excitedly. Julia shot her a confused look as Danni laughed and leaned over to explain.

"Emily's been dating Josh for quite awhile now…she's rather taken by him," she said with a wink.

Julia smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Yeah I know what that feels like," she said as she nudged Phil slightly, causing him to smile widely.

As the Cornelia Marie pulled alongside their allotted section of the dock, Phil, Julia, Danni and Emily rushed forward, calling out excitedly to the crew.

Jake and Josh leapt off the boat and ran to their father. Phil was instantly overwhelmed by his sons as they wrapped their arms around him, tears and smiles on their faces.

Julia went to stand by Emily and Danni as they waited for Phil and his sons to get reacquainted.

As the boys pulled away, Phil was stunned to see how upset and worried they looked.

"Boys…boys I'm okay," he said, trying to reassure them, "I'm following the doctor's orders and Julia's been taking good care of me."

Josh glanced over at the three women standing a few feet away. He smiled and walked over to Emily, giving her a big hug and a kiss. He turned to face Julia and held out his hand for her to shake.

"Thank you for taking care of my dad…I really appreciate it."

Julia smirked and gave him a hug, ignoring his outstretched hand.

"Oh, I plan to continue taking care of him Josh…don't worry," she said as she pulled back.

Josh shot her a startled look, "What? What do you mean…?"

He paused when he saw his dad walk up and put an arm around Julia. The look in his eyes told the whole story. Josh's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Ooooh," he said slowly, "I see…so you two got a little closer huh?"

Jake smirked as he walked over to give Julia a hug.

"My dad needs someone like you," he said as he pulled back, "And thanks for taking care of him."

"Anytime…and I mean that," said Julia.

Just then, the Northwestern pulled into the harbor.

"Hey look!" said Danni as she leapt up excitedly, "Andria's back!"

"Andria," murmured Julia to herself.

She remembered what Danni had told her about the ex-Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer. She leaned forward, interested in meeting this woman she had heard so much about.

"Well, well!" exclaimed Edgar Hansen as he tied down the boat with his brother Norman, "Look at the welcoming party we got!"

Andria got off the boat and ran over to Danni. The two women squealed happily and hugged each other.

"It's so good to see you again!" said Andria happily.

"And its so good to see you!" exclaimed Danni, "And you're in one piece too!"

Andria laughed at that and glanced over Danni's shoulder to see Julia walking towards them.

"Oh, hello," said Andria as she held out her hand, "I'm Andria…I don't think we've met before."

Julia smiled, "No but I've heard a lot about you! I'm Julia, your replacement back at the Coast Guard base."

Andria's eyes brightened at that, "Oh! Well it's nice to meet you!"

Danni laughed, "You two really need to sit down and talk about Andrew," she said as she rolled her eyes.

Andria raised an eyebrow, "Oh…is he causing you problems too?"

Julia sighed in exasperation, "Oh my gosh yes! He thinks I have no business seeing Phil because we're supposed to be better than fishermen."

Andria laughed, "Ha! That's what he said to me! You're seeing Phil?"

"Yeah…it's a long story."

Danni glanced at them with a happy expression on her face, "And we have plenty of time to talk! Why don't you get your crew together and head over to the Elbow Room, Andria? I'll go gather the Cornelia Marie boys and we'll throw a party! And as soon as the Maverick gets in I'll get them to join us too!"

Julia nodded in agreement and watched as the two women walked away quickly to gather everybody together. She smiled to herself as she looked around the now-crowded docks. Everyone was smiling and looked thrilled to be reunited with loved ones. She sighed and turned to head back over to Phil.

"It just doesn't get any better than this!"

…

PLEASE REVIEW!!

Whew! What a ton of writing!!

I have a feeling the epilogue's gonna be long too…I hope to get it done sometime tonight, but if not I'll do it first thing in the morning!!

Thanks for the reviews!!


	16. Epilogue Part 1: Sweet Revenge

Epilogue Part 1: Sweet Revenge

"Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" shouted Jake Harris as he and his brother walked into the Elbow Room an hour later.

The Elbow Room was completely decked out in balloons, confetti, and other decorations. The music was blasting out the speakers and the captains began to order ungodly amounts of alcohol for their crews.

Danni and Emily were hurrying around the room, taking orders and serving many shots, glasses, and even pitchers of various forms of alcohol.

Phil was talking with his sons at one of the tables when Sig walked over along with nearly the entire Northwestern crew. They all began to question him about his health and his new girlfriend just as the doors opened and the crews of the Time Bandit and the Maverick walked into the building. They gaped and shouted in surprise when they saw how decked out the Elbow Room was.

A sudden cry of excitement came from the bar. Everyone turned to see Danni leap over the bar and run straight into the arms of a rather good-looking, blonde young man. He shouted in surprise when he turned around, only to get nearly run over by his wife.

"Blake!" she squealed happily, "Oh my gosh I missed you so much!"

"Oh, I missed you too honey," murmured Blake as he gave his wife a very tight hug.

His crew smirked in amusement but quickly turned to go talk with the other crews and order their drinks.

Jake and Josh left their father for a moment to make their way to the bar. Suddenly the room was filled with loud groans and shaking heads. Phil muttered something under his breath about Ding and Dong and the surrounding crews and captains broke out into laughter.

Andria and Julia were sitting at the bar talking and laughing.

"So Andrew tried to keep you from Sig by claiming he would make sure you lost your job?" asked Julia, shaking her head in disbelief.

Andria smirked, "So he said…but he doesn't have that kind of power, trust me. He just likes to blow smoke."

"So, then why did you leave?"

Andria shrugged, "I guess my heart belonged somewhere else."

Andria glanced over her shoulder and Julia followed her line of sight. She smiled knowingly when she realized she was looking at Sig. He glanced over at them and Andria winked and gave him a small wave. He winked back and mouthed the words: "I love you."

"Isn't he amazing?" sighed Andria, "Oh but apparently you know all about what its like to fall for a captain…or so I've been told."

Julia smiled as she glanced back at Phil. He was giving Murray a hug and thanking him for all he did while he was off of the boat.

"Yeah I guess I do."

Andria smiled when she recognized the look in Julia's eyes. It was the same way she felt when she fell for Sig Hansen.

Suddenly, a thought entered her mind.

"Julia!" she exclaimed suddenly, causing Julia to jump in surprise.

"What?"

The mischievous look in Andria's eyes alarmed Julia. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Andria began to explain her sudden outburst.

"How'd you like to get even?"

Julia gave her a confused look.

"I'm not following you, Andria."

Andria rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Andrew! How'd you like to get even with him?"

Julia's eyes shot open in surprise.

"You can't be serious! If we got caught…"

"Oh we won't do anything bad," assured Andria, "We'll just…scare him a little."

Julia smiled slightly. She couldn't help admitting to herself that it did sound like a lot of fun.

"Okay…and how do you propose we do that?"

…

A few hours later…

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Both of you shut up before I knock you both out!" hissed Phil, "You wanted to come along so behave!"

Jake and Josh rolled their eyes at each other and mumbled under their breaths.

"Are you sure this isn't going to get me fired?" asked Julia, nervously.

"Not one-hundred percent…but it'll keep Andrew off your back that's for sure," laughed Edgar.

Sig shook his head, "This is insane," he muttered.

Jake Anderson laughed quietly, barely suppressing his excitement and nervous anticipation.

Just then, a loud beeping noise echoed throughout the large, enclosed building.

Jake started to laugh and Josh gave him a stern look.

"I thought I said shut up?" he hissed irritably, "Do you want to give us away?"

"Ding and Dong, you both aren't going to see the light of day if you keep this up!" threatened Phil.

Murray laughed evilly and waited with the rest of them for Andrew to appear.

Julia managed to figure out how to set off Andrew's personal beeper that announced there was an emergency call out without alerting the rest of the crew. She smiled at Andria and nodded.

"Alright, you all know what to do! Places everyone!" said Andria.

They scattered and waited for the moment to arrive.

Suddenly the lights clicked on and the hanger was flooded with bright, fluorescent light. Andrew rushed into the hanger, pulling on his jacket as he ran towards the chopper.

"Whatcha doin there buddy?" asked Sig as he stepped out from the other side of the chopper.

Andrew nearly leapt ten feet into the air. He grabbed his chest in panic and shot Sig an infuriated look.

"Who the hell are you?" he shouted.

"He's actually Captain of the Northwestern," said Jake Anderson as he came up behind Andrew.

Andrew whirled around and glared at the young deckhand.

"And I think you should show some more respect to us," said Murray as he stepped out from behind a stack of boxes.

Andrew's eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"What the hell is going on?" he exclaimed.

"You made a big mistake messing with us," said Josh as he came up beside of his brother, "You see, crabbers are like family…and some of us are more than family."

"And we don't take too kindly to people like you," said Blake as he leaned on the railing on the second floor.

Andrew glanced up, a look of fear beginning to enter his eyes as he realized he was very outnumbered.

"People who claim to be better than us," said Danni as she stood beside Blake.

"Just because we aren't rich, proper, city-folk," said Andy as he and Jonathon Hillstrand walked into the building.

"And in my opinion…we're better people because we know what really matters in life," said Andria as she slowly walked towards Andrew.

Andrew's eyes flew open in shock and he openly gaped at her.

"A…Andria?" he stammered.

"That's right, Andrew…you thought you could get rid of me just like that?" asked Andria with a smirk, "You thought I wouldn't come back and pay you a visit?"

"I…I…"

"You what, Andrew?" asked Julia as she emerged from a stack of crates and fell in alongside Andria, "You're sorry? I think it might be a touch too late for that don't you?"

The rest of the crews of the Maverick, Time Bandit, Northwestern, and Cornelia Marie emerged from the shadows and from behind boxes and crates. Andrew whirled around, glaring at all of them with fear in his eyes.

"So," said Phil as he walked through them to get in Andrew's face, "I suggest that the next time you mess with my woman…"

"Or my wife," said Sig, coming forward to stand with Phil.

"That you think twice," snarled Phil, "Because if you mess with them, then you'll have to answer to all of us."

A border-line evil laugh echoed throughout the hangar. Everyone turned to see who it was and Phil and Sig stepped out of the way, exchanging knowing looks.

"We're tired of you burning our friends," said Edgar as he stalked forward, holding something behind his back, "So maybe it's time for you to know what it's like…to get burned!"

Edgar whipped out the can of hairspray and matches that he had behind his back. Instantly a large ball of fire formed in front of Andrew's face.

Edgar laughed with amusement while Andrew screamed in panic. He backed up to get away from the flames but ran into the helicopter.

He glanced around wildly, trying to find a route of escape. He saw a clear path to the backdoor and ran for it.

The crews didn't bother trying to stop him. They were too busy laughing and whooping and hollering their victory.

"Aw, what's wrong Andrew?" hollered Phil, "Did we scare ya?"

Sig patted his brother on the shoulder.

"The fire was a nice touch…I liked your 'burn' lines too, very nicely played out," he said with a laugh.

Andria and Julia exchanged victorious looks and high-fived each other.

"That'll be the last we see of him!" exclaimed Andria happily.

"That's what I'm talking about!" said Julia.

"Alright guys!" shouted Danni from the railing, "How bout we go back to the Elbow Room for a celebratory round of drinks, what do you say?"

Danni's voice was drowned out by a chorus of shouts, yells, whoops, hollers, laughs, and whistles.

"I'll take that as a yes!"

…

PLEASE REVIEW!!

I'm gonna try and write part 2 of the epilogue tonight…it'll be shorter, just about what happens a few years down the road.

Thanks for all the reviews!!

Hope you guys liked the revenge of the rescue swimmers!! : )


	17. Epilogue Part 2: Five Years Later

Epilogue Part 2: Five Years Later

"Phil! Your son is trying to kill me!" shouted Julia with a laugh.

Phil smirked as his son tackled his wife in the living room.

"Don't beat her up too bad, Jon!" he said, laughing as Jon let out a battle cry and leapt on Julia again.

Just then, there was a small knock on the door and Jon's two older brothers sauntered inside. He squealed excitedly and ran over to them, much to his mother's relief.

She stood up from the floor and brushed herself off as she walked over to greet Jake and Josh.

"Hey squirt!" shouted Jake as he gave Jon a hug.

Jon _smiled_ happily and rushed over to Josh who lifted him up off his feet and tossed him lightly into the air. Jon laughed as his brother caught him and gave him a hug.

Julia shook her head, "That boy's got more energy than anyone I've ever met!"

She smiled as she watched Jon grab his older brothers' hands and drag them into the living room, talking excitedly about some new toys he got. She sighed and leaned on the wall in the kitchen as she watched the older boys begin to play with Jon's dinosaur set.

"Whatcha thinking about?" crooned Phil as he stood behind his wife.

Julia sighed in contentment, "How lucky I am," she said as she turned to face him.

Phil grinned like a little kid as he held his wife close to him. He was glad he had listened to her a few years ago…

_Five years ago, shortly after they were married, Phil lit a cigarette while he was standing out on his back deck. Julia marched outside and flicked the cigarette right out of his mouth. He gave her a shocked look, but she only put her hands on her hips and gave him a stern glare._

"_Phil Harris as long as you're married to me you will never touch another cigarette again!"_

_And she was true to her word. For the next two years she saw to it that he stuck to his diet and did not smoke or drink. _

_When he went to the doctor for a checkup, he was given a clean bill of health. He rushed home to tell Julia and she was beside herself with happiness. She hugged him tightly and didn't let him go for a full ten minutes. Phil held her close, his heart calm and happy. _

"_Hey, Julia?" he asked suddenly._

_Julia sighed slightly, "Yes, honey?"_

"_What do you think about…about having a baby?"_

_Many months later, Jon Harris was born._

Just then, a loud beeping noise filled the house. Julia grabbed her pager while her son jumped up and down excitedly.

"Mommy's gonna go ride in the helicopter!" he squealed, much to his older brothers' amusement.

Julia laughed and ran over to give him a quick hug.

"That's right, sweetheart! Mommy'll be back later, okay?"

Jon nodded and went to go play with his dinosaurs. Julia gave Jake and Josh quick hugs and ran back over to her husband.

"I'll be back soon," she murmured as she hugged him.

"Okay, hon…be safe," whispered Phil as Julia turned to rush out of the house.

Josh saw the look in his dad's eyes as he watched Julia run out of the house. He smirked and nudged his brother.

"Looks like Dad's got it bad," said Josh, just loud enough for Phil to hear.

Jake grinned and nodded in agreement, "Yeah he's still obsessed with her, even after all these years."

"Hey!" growled Phil, "It's only been five, don't make it sound like an eternity! And I do love my wife, thank you very much."

The boys laughed in amusement while Jon got a very serious look on his face.

"Daddy!" he exclaimed in a harsh voice, "Remember what Mommy said about you getting yourself…riled up?"

Jake and Josh started cracking up at the intense look in their little brother's eyes.

Phil couldn't help but smirk slightly as he walked into the living room and picked up his son.

"Yeah, yeah I know," he said as he sighed, "You really are your mother's son, you know that?"

Jon laughed as his dad hoisted him up onto his shoulders.

Phil smiled and sighed in contentment as he looked down at his older sons.

"Life just doesn't get any better than this!"

…

THE END

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And thank you to everyone who read this one!! I really appreciate your support!


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